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Three die as hoodlums set ex-Kwara gov’s house ablaze

No fewer than three people have been confirmed dead , while six people sustained varying degrees of injuries in Lafiagi, Kwara State as irate youths burnt down a part of the house of a former governor of Kwara State, Senator Shaaba Lafiagi.

The Public Relations Officer , Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Kwara State , Mr. Henry Bilesanmi , confirmed the death of three people , though some sources put the death toll at five.

Also , the Wakillin Lafiagi, Umaru Shaaba, said the dead victims included Abubakar Alhassan and Musa Abdullahi.

According to a death certificate from the General Hospital, Lafiagi, 24 -year-old Abdullahi died from gunshot wounds in the femoral region.

The death certificate , which was signed on behalf of the hospital medical director by an official , identified simply as Mrs. Abdul , stated that Abdullahi was shot by soldiers in Lafiagi township.

The Wakillin Lafiagi told our correspondent on Saturday that over 300 youths had attempted to stop the former Kwara State governor from entering the town on Friday night.

He stated that Lafiagi, who is the senator representing Kwara North Senatorial District , was attempting to enter the town from Ilorin with political associates for Saturday ’ s local government elections in the state .

Shaaba said the youths stopped the senator from entering the town because of uncompleted culverts and projects on Lafiagi Road , around Sodo River, about four kilometres to Lafiagi town .

He added that the youths had complained that there were avoidable deaths because of the non -completion of the projects .

Shaaba said, “ The community boys complained that the place had recorded about four accidents within a short time; a couple had been killed as a result of that culvert . A Fulani was riding a motorcycle and ran into the culvert. There was a family travelling from Lagos to Abuja; because they did not know the road , they drove into the culvert.

“ The youths then said, before Alhaji Shaaba ( Lafiagi) and his political team would enter the town , the culvert should be covered. They also said the number of deaths that had been recorded because of the unfinished job was too high and that the culvert must be filled so that the people could use it. That was the genesis of it . By the time Shaaba came, over 300 youths had blocked the way . ”

But the former governor was said to have invited the Divisional Police Officer in the area who tried in vain to mediate .

The senator was said to have later invited soldiers , who tried unsuccessfully to pacify the youths .

According to Shaaba , the security agencies later escorted the senator to his residence .
He said the aggrieved community members protested while security agents shot sporadically to disperse them .

He stated that in the ensuing pandemonium and sporadic shooting from security agents, three people were killed by bullets while six were injured.

Our correspondent gathered that when members of the community heard about the killing , they matched to the senator’ s residence and burnt part of it.

When contacted , the Deputy Director , Public Relations , 2 Division, Ibadan, Nigerian Army, Lt . Col. Ezindu Idima, said, “ The shooting had already taken place before our soldiers were deployed when the situation was getting out of hand.

“ Our soldiers only came to bring the situation under control . They were not there before and during the shooting. What our soldiers did there was just to bring the situation under control . They were not involved in the shooting . ”

Efforts to get the state Police Public Relations Officer , Mr . Ajayi Okasanmi, to respond proved abortive as his promised official response was still being awaited as of the time of filing this report ....